7.1.05

Agnes Martin

When Agnes Martin died on Dec. 16 at age 92, a museum curator in New Mexico, where Martin had lived since the late '60s, aptly described her as "America's most famous unknown artist."

Acquaintances describe Martin as both self-effacing and relentless, a characterization that accords with her interest in Zen. She had heard a legendary D.T. Suzuki lecture while she was training at Columbia University to become an art teacher.

Martin devoted much of her life to painting. She worked daily until the end, even though she lived in a Taos retirement home and had heart problems for many years.